


Violins & Violent Things

by emmiebee



Category: The Bifrost Incident - The Mechanisms (Album), The Mechanisms (Band)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Eldritch Lyfrassir Edda, Eventual Romance, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Gen, Idiots in Love, Immortal Lyfrassir Edda, Lyfrassir Edda Joins the Mechanisms, M/M, Nonbinary Lyfrassir Edda, Slow Burn, Soft Jonny d'Ville, Swearing, crimes are committed, he's just really bad at dealing with them, it's all very soft though, jonny d'ville has all the feelings, marius and nastya are Violin Pals, no one really knows if jonny and tim are a thing or not, sorta - Freeform, the mechs are a family, there is going to be a lot of self-indulgent tim content here, they're found family guys, they're just vibing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-15 20:20:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 18,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28944324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emmiebee/pseuds/emmiebee
Summary: Lyfrassir Edda survived the Bifrost, now what?
Relationships: Jonny d'Ville/Gunpowder Tim, Lyfrassir Edda & The Mechanisms Ensemble, Lyfrassir Edda/Marius von Raum, Minor or Background Relationship(s), The Aurora/Nastya Rasputina, The Mechanisms Ensemble & The Mechanisms Ensemble
Comments: 61
Kudos: 116





	1. The Book Is Lying Open

When you watch your entire world get basically eaten by an eldritch rainbow monster, it makes sense that it would take you a while to get adjusted back into life. Unfortunately (former) Inspector 2nd Class Lyfrassir Edda has no self-care skills. 

“This is good. It will be good for me,” they tell themself as they step out of their room in the small boarding house they’ve been staying in, ready for their first day of work, only three weeks after the Bifrost incident. They know that everyone they once knew would tell them to take more time, to get fully adjusted to a new planet before they go straight into a taxing job, but all of those people are dead, and Lyf needs to do something to keep their mind off that fact. So off to work they go.

The planet Lyf ended up on after desperately fleeing from the Bifrost is called Iala. It’s a relatively small, unheard of world, very similar to Midgard in technology. It’s a planet for refugees, where people escaping from wars or other such destruction can go to start over. Its citizens are a chaotic mixture of everything from everywhere, so Lyf doesn’t stand out. 

Lyfrassir Edda is annoyingly short (at least in their opinion), with pale, almost snow-white skin and long silver-white hair that is currently pulled back in a braid. Their eyes are an almost impossibly light blue, and their ears are pointed. Their face (and the rest of their body, although the ones on their face are the most visible) is ornamented with natural, eye-catching patterns in the same color as their eyes. At the moment they are dressed in the uniform of Iala’s police force, which includes a blindingly white button-down shirt, heavy boots, and (Lyf’s favorite part) a long navy blue coat that billows behind them slightly as they walk. 

Joining the police force was really the only thing Lyf could do once they had settled. It’s something familiar, some part of their life before that they can at least try to get back. Hopefully it will help distract them from the gaping jaws and rainbow horrors that haunt their dreams and most of their waking hours. 

Hopefully.

Marius Von Raum is not sulking. He is not brooding, he is not moping, he is not pouting. None of the above. He’s just… having a couple of off days. That’s a thing that people have, right? He thinks so.

Honestly, he should be happy. The new album is finally finished, and it’s a really good one. But… it was harder to make than Marius had expected. Hearing Lyf, but without it actually being Lyf. Sometimes he really hates Jonny’s talent. 

He doesn’t even know why it hurts. He didn’t even know Lyf. Did he? They had come to see him, Raph, and Ivy many times throughout the last couple years of their imprisonment, and, well, Marius had developed a bit of a thing for them. But it’s just a crush, and he should be long over it by now. He is over it. Lyf is definitely not the reason that he is currently passed out on the floor of the bridge, after drinking himself half to death the night before. 

“Marius.” a foot digs itself into his side. Marius groans and rolls over. The foot pushes harder. “Marius.”

“Fuck off,” Marius mumbles, rolling over again and attempting to bite the persistent foot, despite being only half awake. He promptly gets a boot to the face. 

“Don’t fucking eat my toes.” 

“Payback for that time you ate my finger,” Marius flops onto his back and glares up at Jonny, who looks thoroughly unimpressed. “Your finger was delicious.”

“Ew.”

“Shut up Tim, this isn’t about you.”

Marius looks past Jonny and spots Tim, lying flat on his back on the floor and idly flipping a pistol up into the air. He pauses to flip Jonny off, and the first mate responds by shooting him. 

Marius sighs. “Well, now I’m awake.” He sits up slowly, scrubbing a hand over his face. “What do you want?”

“Why the fuck were you sleeping on the floor?” Jonny folds his arms and stares daggers at Marius as though accusing him of some horrid crime (not like Jonny would ever be anything but thrilled by the very idea of crime, but still).

“I’m fine,” Marius tells him dismissively. 

“Not what I asked.”

“It’s what you meant.” Jonny scowls, but doesn’t actually argue. “So? Answer me, Von Raum.”

Marius flinches at the use of his name in that way, with that tone. It’s too familiar. “If you must know, I was thinking about Lyf,” he admits. Jonny raises an eyebrow. “The cop?” 

Marius glares at him. “Yeah, the cop.”

“Why?”

Marius isn’t quite sure how to answer that. “Because… I miss them, I guess?”

“Why the fuck would you miss them? You barely knew them.”

“I know that,” Marius snaps. “But I… I liked them. I liked them a lot.” Jonny makes a face at that, but is thankfully stopped from saying anything by a loud groan of “ow” from the floor behind him, indicating that Tim has regenerated. 

“Welcome back, bitch,” Jonny calls to him. Tim shoots him a glare. “I’ll get you back for that.”

“You can try.” 

“I will succeed.”

“Not if I succeed first.”

“The fuck does that mean?” 

Jonny grins. “You’ll see.”

Marius sighs, getting to his feet and leaving them to it. “What’s up with him?” he hears Tim whisper to Jonny as he walks away. 

“Oh, Mare’s having feelings,” Jonny explains. Tim grimaces. “Poor fucker.”

Marius exits the bridge to find Ashes sitting against the wall, the Toy Soldier and Drumbot Brian sitting across from them, a card game set up between the three of them.

“Wanna join?” Ashes asks. Marius shakes his head. “Maybe later. I’m probably gonna go see what Nas is up to.” 

“Probably not a good idea right now,” Brian pipes up. “She and Aurora are, uh, doing their thing.” 

“Ah.” Marius looks around helplessly. He needs something to do, so he won’t keep thinking about Lyfrassir. Suddenly an idea comes to him. “We’re on a planet now, right?”

“Yeah,” Ashes replies nonchalantly, studying their cards carefully. “Brian knows what it’s called.”

“Iala,” Brian supplies. Marius nods. “Excellent. And… Drumbot, are you on Boring Mode today?” 

Brian grins. “Nope.”

“Even better,” Marius rubs his hands together gleefully, looking between the three others with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “So who wants to go commit some crimes?”

All in all, it is a relatively boring first week at the Iala Police Department. Nothing truly interesting happens, which is good in general, but not very good for Lyf, who is desperate for something huge and distracting. Paperwork, as it turns out, is neither huge nor distracting. 

There’s a line of cells along the wall of the room where Lyf is working, for the less dangerous criminals who only need to be held for a day or so. Lyf hates them, because every time they walk into the room they expect to be greeted enthusiastically by the sound of their name, accompanied by violins. Instead there’s nothing, and Lyf has no idea why that bothers them so much. It’s not that they miss Marius Von Raum, far from it. It’s just… another reminder that things are different now, and that they can never go back to who they used to be.

One week after starting their new job, and Lyf is almost ready to quit it. They have half a mind to walk into the captain’s office right this second and hand in their resignation. But as they approach their desk, coffee in hand, they freeze. One of the cells is occupied. And Lyf could swear that it’s… Lyf almost drops their coffee, letting out a startled yelp. The prisoners in the cell look up, and one of them is… one of them is…

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Lyf hisses. “Von Raum????”


	2. Oh Fuck Lyf Glows Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marius is an idiot. I love him.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” the voice is so familiar, so impossibly familiar, and so jarring to hear after weeks of wishing he could hear it. Marius can’t breathe. 

“Von Raum?” Lyf’s eyes are wide, wild, and staring, and yet they’re there. They’re real, they’re alive, and they’re right there. Lyfrassir Edda is alive, and Marius is looking right at them. He lets out an incredulous, nearly hysterical burst of laughter, then quickly claps a hand over his mouth to stifle it. He manages to pull himself together just enough to say, “Hi.”

Lyf just stares at him, dumbfounded. Marius steps closer to the bars and reaches out, almost without thinking. He then catches himself and wraps his hand around a bar, one hundred percent aware that his face is split into the widest, stupidest grin of all time. “Lyf. You’re… Lyf. I mean, yeah, of course you’re Lyf, you’re Lyf. Shit.” he can feel, rather than see, Ashes’ amused eyebrow lifting higher and higher from deeper in the cell. 

“Wait, this is Lyf?” Brian asks, looking between Marius and Lyf curiously. “Your Lyf?”

“I am not-” Lyf splutters, clearly still trying to get their bearings on the situation. “I am Lyfrassir Edda, if that’s what you mean.”

Brian blinks. “Oh. Drumbot Brian.” he tries to extend a hand through the bars for Lyf to shake, but pulls it back when they just stare at him helplessly. 

“Ashes O’Reilly, quartermaster,” Ashes calls from their spot on the cell’s small cot. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet the inspector Marius has been going on about.” 

“And you know who I am,” Marius supplies helplessly, smiling sheepishly. “It’s really good to see you.” and it is. It really is. Lyf looks… they look like they always have, if in a different uniform. There are dark circles under their eyes that haven’t always been there, but everything else is the same, from their crossed arms to their loose hair with the little braid on one side, to the tapered points of their ears that Marius finds he still very much wants to kiss. 

“What- I can’t- you’re- this is-” Lyf looks around them wildly, stumbling over words like their brain is short-circuiting (which Marius almost worries it might be, before he remembers that unlike most everyone else he knows, Lyf is actually entirely flesh and blood, and has a much more functional brain than any of them). They clamp their mouth shut and just stand there shaking their head for a moment, before simply saying “no” and turning and stalking away. 

“That went well,” Brian remarks drily. Marius glares at him. “Not a word from you. Either of you,” he adds before Ashes can provide their opinion. “Now come on, let’s get out of here. We need to find TS and get back to Aurora before Jonny leaves us to rot.”

“You don’t want to stay?” Ashes asks. “Spend some time with your inspector?”

Marius glances back to where Lyf had disappeared. “They clearly need some time,” he says softly. “But don’t worry. I’ll be back for them.”

“Wonderful news!” Marius announces, marching onto Aurora’s bridge with Ashes, Brian, and the Toy Soldier in tow. 

“Where have you been?” Raphaella accuses, walking up to him and poking his chest with her finger. “You were supposed to help me try to graft wings onto an octokitten.”

“I thought Tim hid all the octokittens from you so you wouldn’t do that.”

Raphaella grins. “I found one.”

“Oh.” Marius shrugs. “Well, I’ll be there in a minute. But first, wonderful news!” he spins in a circle, making sure he has an audience and throwing his arms out wide. “Lyfrassir Edda is alive and well, and is on this very planet at this very moment!”

“Oh shit, really?” Jonny looks up from shuffling a deck of cards, then groans as Tim punches a fist into the air. “Ha-ha! You owe me a new guitar, Jonny boy.”

“They’re alive?” Raphaella gives Marius a genuine smile and throws her arms around him. “Mare, that’s amazing! Did you see them? Talk to them?” 

“Sort of,” he replies. “They kind of… didn’t take it well.” before Raph can say anything else, he adds, “But it’s alright. I’m going to go check on them tomorrow, see if they’re doing okay. If staying in one place for a bit is alright with everyone?”

Ashes shrugs. “Fine by me.” Brian nods, and everyone else makes vague noises of approval. Tim stands up and sweeps a bow in Marius’ direction. “Go forth and be gay, my dear baron.”

Marius gives him a wink and makes to set off after Raphaella to commit horrid acts upon octokittens in the name of science, but stops when he notices Jonny. The first mate is staring at him, one hand held to his heart, fingers tapping his chest to the rhythm of his heartbeat. It’s a tic he developed in the early days of his immortality, something he does whenever he’s overwhelmed by emotions he doesn’t know how to deal with. 

Tim notices this as well and quickly grabs Jonny’s hand, pulling it away from his chest and giving it a squeeze. The crew has discovered that if someone doesn’t stop the tapping, things can get… bad, so they came up with a solution: whoever is closest to Jonny in the moment (usually Tim) takes his hand and holds it until he calms down. It’s simple but effective, and has become an almost automatic part of the crew’s lives. 

Jonny freezes and blinks at Tim for a moment, then shudders and turns to Marius, his usual scowl back in place. As Marius moves to go past him, the first mate grabs his shoulder with his free hand and says softly, “Don’t get hurt, Mare.”

“Aye, aye, first mate D’Ville sir,” Marius replies, attempting a reassuring smile before continuing on his way.

“Tell Raph that if she even thinks about laying a hand on Tim Jr., I will tear her limb from limb,” Tim calls after him as he goes. 

Marius Von Raum. Fucking Marius Von Raum. Fucking. Marius. Von. Raum. Lyf is still seething, and it’s been an entire day. 

They’re not happy about how they handled things, bolting from the room like that, and they’re even less happy about the fact that when they went back, Von Raum & co. were already gone. Now, a day later, they can’t stop thinking about it as they make their way to work.

They have no idea why seeing him again hit them so badly. He was barely even a part of their life before, but now it feels like he was the most important thing in it. Lyf doesn’t know what to think, let alone what to do about it. But luckily they don’t have to, because now he’s gone. Again. But that doesn’t mean they’ve stopped thinking about him. It’s gotten so bad that now they could swear they hear…. 

A violin. That is definitely a violin. Lyf whirls around, searching the street around them. There. Holy shit. It’s him. 

Marius Von Raum is standing on the street corner, playing that damned violin like he’s performing in the fanciest concert hall ever. Lyf can’t believe this. What the hell is he doing there? They stalk over to him, having half a mind to put him back in prison, just for doing this to them. Marius sets down the violin as they approach, and opens his mouth to say something, but then yelps in surprise as Lyf grabs hold of him and drags him into an alley.

“What the fuck,” they snap, letting go of him and glaring at him. The violin has disappeared in the time it took to pull him into the alley, because of course it has. “What the fuck are you doing here, Von Raum?”

“I came to check on you,” Marius explains, brow furrowed in confusion at their tone. “I wanted to see if you were doing okay.”

Lyf reels back as though slapped. “Why? We’re not friends. We barely know each other. You’re a criminal. You shouldn’t- why do you care?” 

Marius frowns deeper. “I- I thought you might need someone. You lost your whole system, Lyf. That’s… I can’t even imagine. How are you doing?” he looks so concerned for them, and Lyf hates it. 

“I’m fine,” they snarl. “There. You can go now. You don’t need to ever see me again.”

Marius stares at them, hurt. “But… what if I want to?”

“Don’t. Don’t want to. You have no reason to, so why would you? You have a whole crew, right? A family? Go be with them. Hold on to them. Because one day they’re all going to die and leave you alone and shattered and you will dream about them and miss them but they will be gone and they’re never coming back, never-”

“Lyf,” Marius reaches for them, and they take a step back. “No. No, don’t. Don’t pity me, Von Raum.”

“Lyf, you’re glowing,” Marius says softly. Lyf blinks, then looks down at their hands. 

Marius is right. They’re glowing. Soft rainbow light haloes their skin, shifting and swirling through colors and hues. It looks like… It’s like…

“Oh gods,” Lyf whispers, feeling their whole world fall apart. Again. “What’s happening to me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come hang with me on tumblr! @queen-of-the-bicons


	3. Jonny + Tim = gunpowd'ville

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lyf sets foot on the Aurora for the first time. Jonny and Tim are low-key soft and high-key idiots. It's all very self-indulgent.

Lyf is glowing. They’re _glowing,_ with the familiar shifting colors they dream of so often, and they’re terrified. They can’t stop staring at it, memories of rainbow light and screaming squamous things flashing through their mind. They’re pretty sure they screamed at one point; they’ve definitely started crying, and their tears sparkle in every imaginable color, which only makes them freak out harder. 

Marius is there, a hand on their arm. He’s saying something to them, something they can’t quite hear beyond their own thoughts screaming  _ the Bifrost is here it’s come for me it’s going to get me this can’t be happening-  _

“Lyf. Lyfrassir. Lyf, look at me. Hey, look at me. Come on now, I just found you. I’m not losing you to this. Not again. Do you hear me?” Marius’ eyes are soft and earnest, and something in them grounds Lyf slightly. “What am I?” they whisper. 

Marius places both his hands on their shoulders and squeezes. “You are Lyfrassir Edda. You’re the cute cop whose life I made hell when I was in prison on Midgard. You somehow survived me playing the violin at you all the time, so that means you can survive this. Yeah?”

Lyf blinks, and suddenly comes back to themself, the light around them fading, Marius’ words playing through their mind. “Did you just call me  _ cute?” _

The violinist grins, releasing their shoulders and taking a step back to give them space. “Thought that might work. What, you don’t think you’re cute?”

“No,” Lyf snorts. “Definitely not.”

“Why not?” Marius looks genuinely confused at this, which Lyf has to admit makes  _ him  _ kind of cute, and they don’t quite know how to answer his question. “Because… I’m a mess? I can barely keep it together on a normal day, and now I’m… now I’m glowing, and that’s… that’s…” their voice breaks and their eyes water, and Marius quickly interrupts them. “I know, I know, the glowing’s… yeah. I, uh, don’t quite know what to make of that. But…” his eyes light up. “But I know someone who might!”

“You do?” 

“Yeah!” Marius is excited now, practically bouncing up and down in front of Lyf. “At least, I think I do. I know someone who might be able to… to figure out what’s going on with you? And maybe help? Only if you want her to.”

Lyf isn’t entirely sure they want to trust Marius Von Raum or anyone associated with him with anything, especially their life, but right now… right now that doesn’t matter. Right now they will do anything to move past the situation with the Bifrost, and if that means dealing with some sort of rainbow glowy powers, then so be it. “Alright,” they say, lifting their chin and trying to look confident and not at all like they’re screaming internally. “Take me to them.”

  
  


“This is your ship?” Lyf asks, staring in awe at the rather beat up Cyberian starship Marius has led them to. The violinist nods, smiling and looking oddly proud. “Lyf, meet Aurora. She’s carried us through millennia of wars and raids, and has done a damn fine job of it.”

Lyf nods absently, then whips their head around to stare at Marius, what he had just said finally registering. “Sorry, did you say millennia?”

Marius winces, avoiding their eyes for the first time. “Um… yeah? We’re immortal? I kind of thought you knew?”

Immortal. Of course. Why not? “Makes sense,” Lyf mutters. “You were in prison for sixty years and didn’t age, I shouldn’t be surprised.”

There’s a moment of awkward silence, before Marius breaks into one of his seemingly constant grins and gestures towards the ship. “Shall we?”

“Why not,” Lyf sighs, and follows him on board.

There are two people sitting against the wall of the bridge when they enter, a near-empty bottle of whiskey on the floor next to them. The one leaning back against the wall has dark veins spreading out from his eyes, and Lyf can’t quite tell if it’s eyeliner or a natural part of his appearance. His eyes are narrowed in concentration, his hands buried deep in the long dark hair of the figure in front of him. The long-haired one looks up as Marius and Lyf come in and elbows the other one. “Oh hey, Marius brought a friend back.”

The other man doesn’t even glance at them. “Whatever. Tim- Tim how the fuck do I do this?”

“What?” the long-haired one, Tim, frowns. “You’ve braided my hair before, y’know.”

“Yeah, but like- there’s so fucking  _ much  _ of it.”

Tim makes a face. “Be nice to my hair.”

“I will if it’s nice to me.”

“Jonny, it’s  _ hair.” _

“So?”

“The fact that you’ve drunk half a bottle of whiskey probably doesn’t help,” Marius remarks. Jonny finally looks up, scowling, before his eyes fall on Lyf. “And who the fuck is this?”

“Lyfrassir Edda,” Lyf cuts in before Marius can say anything.

“Wait, like Inspector Sexy Lyfrassir Edda or is there more than one?” Tim tries to sit up, then yelps when he realizes Jonny is still tangled in his hair and settles back down. 

Marius turns bright red as Lyf shrieks “Inspector  _ what now?”  _

Tim raises an eyebrow and smirks. “Ah, so it is Inspector Sexy. Pleasure. I’m Tim. Gunpowder Tim. This is Jonny D’Ville, he’s our first mate. He’ll try to tell you he’s the captain, but he’s a fucking liar so don’t ever listen to anything he says.”

Jonny just studies Lyf for a moment before shrugging and turning his focus back to Tim’s hair. “The hell kind of name is Lyfrassir Edda?” he mutters after a second. 

“What kind of name is  _ Jonny D’Ville?”  _ Lyf counters, tired of being at the mercy of these immortal space pirates already. 

“A fucking cool one,” Jonny snaps, “and one I chose, so don’t you dare go around insulting it.” he pauses, then adds “I suppose D’Ville is really the one I chose. I was born with Jonny, so I guess you can insult that a little.”

“Short for Jonathan, I presume?” Lyf asks. Jonny’s eyes flash violently. “Try to call me that and you won’t live long enough to get the word out of your mouth.”

“Jonathan’s a little touchy about being called Jonathan,” Tim teases, leaning back into Jonny and resting his head against the first mate’s shoulder with a smirk. “Don’t you start,  _ Gunpowder,”  _ Jonny snarls at him, giving his hair a sharp tug. “The death threat extends to you, too.”

“Nah, you already killed me today, remember?” Tim reminds him, then glances back at Lyf to explain. “We have an agreement, he can only kill me once per day, or-”

“Don’t,” Jonny tugs at his hair again in warning, but Tim just waves a hand in his face to shut him up. 

“-or I won’t cuddle him,” he finishes triumphantly. Jonny glares daggers at him, but it’s somehow lacking in heat. 

“...I see,” Lyf says, finding themself looking to Marius for help. He, in turn, just grins at the first mate. “Well hey, if you’re in need of cuddles you can always join me and Raph and Brian’s cuddle piles.”

Jonny looks disgusted. “That sounds awful.” Marius shrugs. “Suit yourself. Anyway, speaking of dearest Raph, that’s where Lyf and I are headed at the moment. We need her help with… a situation. D’you know if she’s in her lab?”

“Think so,” Jonny says absently, already back to carding his hands through Tim’s hair with an intense look of concentration. 

“Right. Thanks, you two,” Marius gestures for Lyf to follow him, and sets off through the ship’s corridors. 

“Are those two… always like that?” Lyf asks as they scramble to catch up to him, how the hell does he walk so fast?

“Yeah, pretty much,” Marius replies cheerfully. “But Tim’s a sweetheart, and Jonny’s actually a total softie once you look past all the… everything.”

Lyf nods, severely doubting that. “And the… cuddle piles?”

“Oh yeah!” Marius’ eyes light up. “It basically started because Raph (that’s Raphaella la Cognizi, you remember her) told me that I give the best hugs and they always make her feel better, so we kind of started doing little cuddle sessions whenever one of us was down. Then Brian noticed and was feeling kind of left out, so of course we let him join, which was actually a fantastic decision on our part, because he’s a space heater- like literally, there’s a space heater in there somewhere. So it’s become kind of a regular thing. The Toy Soldier joins sometimes too, and we try to trap Ivy in it whenever we can. We even got Nastya to join in a time or two. Haven’t managed to convince Ashes yet, though.”

Lyf isn’t quite sure what he’s talking about, but they let him go on because it seems to make him really happy, and they feel bad about how they yelled at him earlier. He clearly has too big a heart for his own good, and it hadn’t been fair to get mad at him for that. And Lyf was starting to realize that, when he wasn’t trying his best to annoy them, he was actually rather lovely to spend time with. 

“Right, this is it,” Marius says, stopping in front of a door. There was a sign taped to it that read ‘Do Not Enter: Sciencing In Progress’, which was enough to put Lyf off for a second. Whatever Raphaella la Cognizi considered ‘science’ was probably nothing they wanted any part of. 

“You okay?” Marius asks them softly. 

“No,” they answer honestly, because he deserves that much. “But I will be, once we get this over with.”

“Alright then,” he flashes them a reassuring smile, and they can’t help but attempt a smile back. “Alright,” they say, “Let’s… do the science.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let's be friends! tumblr is @queen-of-the-bicons, i'm really shy but i like screaming about stuff with people


	4. THE SCIENCE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raph does the science. Lyf does not take it well. Nastya!

As soon as Lyf and Marius enter the lab, they are met by lots of shouting and a sight that is forever burned into Lyf’s brain.

Raphaella la Cognizi is hovering in the air off to one side with what appears to be a flamethrower, yelling across the room at a woman Lyf recognizes as Ivy Alexandria, who has her head in a book and is pointedly ignoring the other. 

There is someone else in the room, or some _ thing,  _ zipping unsteadily through the air on a pair of wings that seem slightly too small for it. It seems to be an animal of some sort, but with way too many legs and no tail. It appears to be in a sort of panic, flying around with seemingly no idea of direction or destination. Lyf feels a pang of sympathy for it, as well as an odd kind of kinship.  _ You and I are in the same boat, my friend,  _ they think.  _ Or, well, starship I guess.  _

“What the fuck-” Marius freezes in the doorway, taking in the scene. 

“Marius!” Raphaella calls when she sees him. “Good, you’re here! Hold this so I can grab Cap.” she tosses the flamethrower at him, and he catches it easily. Raphaella whips around and dives at the small fluttering animal, catching hold of it and bundling it into her arms. She slowly lowers herself to the ground, stroking the creature and muttering soft reassurances to it. Once they’re on the ground, Lyf gets a good look at the animal and sees that it’s a cat, one with eight legs, no tail, and a pair of lopsided bat’s wings crudely attached to its back. 

“Is that one of Tim’s boys?” Marius asks accusingly. “He’s going to kill you for that.”

“He already did,” Ivy comments, still focused on her book. “Oh, and hello, Inspector.”

Lyf has no idea how she managed to notice them without looking up from that book, but is kept from saying anything about it by Raphaella’s shriek of “Lyf! I’m so sorry I didn’t see you! I’m so glad you’re alive! What are you doing here?”

“I…” Lyf is a little taken aback by her enthusiasm, and doesn’t quite know what to say. “I, um… what is that?” they point to the creature in her arms, which peeks out at them with wide anxious eyes. 

“Oh this?” Raphaella shifts her arms, displaying the beast in full. “This is A Better Captain Than Jonny Would Ever Be. You can call him Cap. He’s an octokitten.”

“Raph has been trying to get a pair of wings on one of the bastards for ages,” Marius adds. 

“Right…” Lyf is completely out of their depth here. Marius seems to catch on to how utterly lost they are, and quickly changes the subject. “Anyway, Raph, we need your help. Lyf is glowing.”

Raphaella looks them up and down skeptically. “No they’re not.”

Marius rolls his eyes. “They  _ were.  _ Earlier. It freaked them out, and we would like to know why it’s happening, please.”

“ _ We,  _ huh?” Raphaella asks, waggling her eyebrows. Marius’ ears turn red and he looks pointedly anywhere but Lyf. Lyf feels their own face heat up, for absolutely no reason, and Raphaella glances between the two of them with a glint in her eyes. Thankfully, she doesn’t say anything else, just turns to Ivy and deposits A Better Captain Than Jonny Would Ever Be the octokitten into her arms. “Here, take this to Tim.”

Ivy studies the kitten for a moment, then nods and carries it out of the lab. Raphaella turns back to Marius and Lyf, clapping her hands together excitedly. “So. Glowing, you say?”

Marius looks to Lyf as though checking to see if they’re comfortable talking about this. Lyf gives him a small nod before facing the science officer again. “Yes. We were- talking, and I got… I got a bit angry, and then I started glowing.”

“Hmmmm,” Raphaella begins rummaging through a collection of vaguely scientific objects on a side table. “What kind of glow?”

“Uh… The… glowing kind? I don’t really know what types of glowing there are.”

Marius elbows their side lightly. “Tell her what it looked like.”

“Right,” Lyf mentally curses themself for being an idiot.”It was… it was rainbow.”

Raphaella pauses and gives them a weighted look. “Like the Bifrost.”

Lyf nods, a lump forming in their throat at the word. “What does it mean?” they ask quietly, terrified of the answer.

Raphaella’s wings flutter nervously as she crosses her arms and leans back against the table. “Well, it could mean that, while you escaped the Bifrost, it left some sort of mark on you.”

“And what does  _ that  _ mean?” Lyf demands, their voice coming out a bit harsher than they intended it to. 

“That’s what I intend to find out,” Raphaella tells them, pulling out a syringe. “If you’ll let me run some tests.”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Marius reminds them hurriedly. It’s sweet of him, but Lyf really doesn’t think they have a choice. “Do it,” they tell Raphaella.

The first thing she does is draw some blood, which isn’t that bad, just a little prick. After she has it she goes to find a bandage, because Lyf is mortal and therefore doesn’t heal like any member of the crew would. But when she comes back to put it on them, she stops. “Interesting.”

“What?” Marius, who is standing beside Lyf anxiously, steps forward immediately, trying to see what Raph sees. “What is it?”

“The mark’s gone,” Raphaella informs him. “Where I put the needle in. There’s nothing there.”

“That’s not-” Lyf frowns, trying to think. “Needle marks are small, are you sure you didn’t just miss it?”

“It’s not there,” Raphaella insists. “I swear, it’s not.”

“Let me look,” Marius shoves her aside gently and leans down to closely inspect Lyf’s arm. “I’m a doctor.”

“Really?” Lyf asks incredulously. Marius nods sagely while Raphaella shakes her head enthusiastically behind him. 

After a moment, Marius pulls back, looking confused. “She’s right,” he says. “It’s gone.”

Suddenly, without warning, Raphaella lunges forward with a scalpel and slices Lyf’s arm open from elbow to wrist. They shriek in pain, and Marius whirls on Raph in fury.  _ “Raphaella!” _

“Look!” she says, pointing. Lyf looks down at their arm and freezes. Their blood, normally a silvery-blue, is… rainbow. It seems to shimmer for a moment and then melts into nothing, and once it’s gone, so is the cut, along with the pain.

Marius, Lyf, and Raphaella just stare for a moment, and then Raphaella lunges forward with the scalpel again. Marius grabs hold of her and yanks her back. “What are you  _ doing?”  _

“I’m going to kill them,” Raphaella says, like it should be obvious. Lyf yelps and scrambles backwards as quickly as they can. Marius sighs and drops his head into his hands. “Raph. We have talked about this. Lyf is not immortal, you can’t just kill them like you would one of us.”

“But that’s the thing,” Raphaella argues. “You saw how they just healed that cut. If they can do that, it stands to reason that they might not be able to die. At least permanently.”

“Wait,” Lyf is having trouble processing this. “Are you saying… you think I might be  _ immortal?”  _

“Yes, and I want to kill you to find out for sure,” Raphaella confirms, waving the scalpel around impatiently. 

“No, no, no, and no.” Marius says, extracting the instrument from her grip. “There will be no killing of the Lyf.”

Raphaella pouts. “Not even a little bit?”

“Maybe a little bit,” Lyf speaks up. Marius stares at them. “What?”

“I want to know,” Lyf says softly. “If I’m immortal, I need to know.”

“But what if you aren’t?” Marius steps forward, his gaze intense and worried. “Lyf, you could  _ die.” _

“Yes, I know, Von Raum. That’s kind of the point.”

“But you could  _ die.”  _

Lyf rolls their eyes. “Why don’t we just try another cut? Maybe a slightly deeper one? See if it heals? And if it doesn’t, we can stop there.”

Marius considers them for a moment, then sighs. “Fine. But at least let me do it this time.”

Raphaella snorts. “You don’t know how to handle a scalpel.”

Marius shoots her a glare. “I’m a doctor.”

“You still don’t know how to handle a scalpel.”

“And you do?”

“Would you like a comprehensive list of all the things I have dissected with one? Trust me.”

“Sweet Raphaella, I love you dearly, but I have never trusted you with anything in my life.”

Raphaella opens her mouth to argue, but before this can go any further, Lyf snatches the scalpel from Marius and drags it across their stomach. Probably a bad place to do it, but they aren’t really thinking at the moment. 

Just as before, the cut heals. Lyf barely even has time to register the pain before it’s gone. 

“You heal even faster than we do,” Raphaella remarks. 

“So? Am I immortal?”

Raphaella purses her lips in thought. “I’d have to run a couple more tests, as there’s still disease and old age to consider, but for now I’d say… most likely, yes.”

Lyf suddenly finds themself reeling back in shock, stumbling backwards into a table. 

“Lyf?” Marius steps toward them, unsure what to do. 

“Immortal.” Lyf murmurs to themself, in a daze. “I’m immortal.”

“You might not be,” Raphaella reminds them. “But it is very likely that the Bifrost made you immortal.”

“Raph,” Marius gives her a warning glance. “Could you give us a moment?”

Raphaella looks between them, then nods and leaves the lab. 

“Hey,” Marius says to Lyf once she’s gone. “You’re okay.”

“No, I’m not,” Lyf says helplessly. “I’m- I’m  _ immortal.  _ Maybe. Most likely. And that’s- it’s  _ not fair,  _ Von Raum. It’s not- it’s not fair.”

“I know,” Marius starts, taking a step toward them.

“ _ Do  _ you?” Lyf cuts him off, venom creeping into their voice. “You didn’t leave your whole system to die, only to find that not only are you still alive, you’re immortal. You’re going to live forever.  _ Forever,  _ while everyone you’ve ever loved is gone. It’s not. Fucking. Fair. I can’t- I don’t deserve this. I shouldn’t have- I should have died with the rest of them. But I didn’t. And now I’m probably going to live forever, with the very thing that destroyed my world running through my veins.”

They’re glowing again, and it’s spreading around them, creeping toward Marius, but they don’t even notice.  _ “Why?”  _ they demand. “Why is this happening to me? Why did it let me live? Why did it  _ claim  _ me? I don’t want this! I don’t- I don’t want…  _ I don’t want to live like this.” _

At this point they notice that they’re hovering above the floor, rainbow tendrils swirling around them and Marius, wrapping around the violinist and pinning him in place. He looks terrified, but he’s trying to hide it. For them. 

Panic shoots through Lyf at the sight, and in a moment their hold on the power snaps, dropping them to the floor and dispersing the light in an instant. Marius comes running to them, stopping just before them, like he’s not sure whether to touch them or not. 

“I don’t want this,” Lyf repeats helplessly. “I- I want it to stop. I want it go away. Please. Marius,  _ make it go away.” _

Their legs go out from under them and they fall to their knees, tears flowing freely. Marius is down by their side in an instant, folding them into his arms. He holds them tightly, rocking them back and forth, stroking their hair as they cry into his shoulder. “We’re going to figure this out,” he whispers against their hair. “We’re going to free you from this. I promise.”

Lyf just sobs harder. They don’t hear the approaching footsteps a moment later, the accented voice calling out “Raphaella? Tim says he’s not speaking to you at the moment but wanted me to bring you a message-”

The voice breaks off as Nastya takes in the scene. She nods curtly and walks up to them, touching Marius on the shoulder lightly. “Aurora, love,” she calls softly. “Can you get a bath running in Marius’ quarters? And have some tea made and brought up, please. Not by the Toy Soldier. Thank you, my heart.”

Marius glances up at her and mouths  _ thank you.  _ She smiles gently back, and waits by his side while he holds the shaking Lyf. 


	5. Drumbot Hugs, Octokittens, and Softness, Oh My!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DRUMBOT HUGS FOR LYF! Marius and Nastya have a chat about feelings, Tim introduces Lyf to his octokitten sons, and Brian bakes :)

Lyf is sleeping. They look so peaceful in sleep, so far from the panicked, fraying mess they are when awake. Their hair is spread out on the pillow, and it takes all of Marius’ willpower not to reach out and run his fingers through it. 

After their breakdown in Raphaella’s lab, Marius and Nastya had managed to get Lyf to Marius’ quarters, where Aurora had gotten a bath running. They left Lyf to wash up on their own, lending them some of Marius’ clothes. There had been a cup of tea waiting for them when they had emerged, and they drank it in silence. Afterwards, exhausted from the day and drained of all energy, they had curled up in Marius’ bed and gone to sleep.

Now Marius is sitting at the foot of the bed, watching them. It’s creepy, he knows that, but he can’t seem to tear his eyes away. Lyf is just… they’re so  _ beautiful,  _ and he thinks he might be in love with them. 

He had thought it was just a crush when he had first abandoned Lyf to the Bifrost, had told himself it was, but now that he has them again… he is finding it harder and harder to convince himself that that’s all it is. 

“I think I’m in love with them,” he admits softly, saying it out loud for the first time. Nastya, sitting in a chair by the bedside, lifts her chin from where it’s resting on her palm. “Do you now?” 

Marius casts a helpless look in her direction. “I think I do.”

“And?” she raises a questioning eyebrow at him. “What are you going to do about it?”

“I don’t know!” he flings his hands up in the air and then slams them back down, emphasizing how utterly lost he is with this whole situation. “I mean, I can’t very well  _ tell them.” _

“And why not?” 

“Because!” Marius cries, throwing his hands up again. 

“Because…?” Nastya prompts. Marius sighs. “Because…. Because I left them. I left their planet- no, not just their planet, their entire  _ system  _ to be destroyed, and I didn’t even say goodbye. I didn’t warn them. I wasn’t there for them.”

“But you are now,” Nastya points out. He gives her a look. “Yeah, but I wasn’t when it mattered. I just left them there, and assumed they were dead. I didn’t even try to look for them afterward or anything. I could have… I could have saved them from it. But I didn’t. And now they’re going through… all this.” he gestures vaguely at Lyf to indicate what exactly  _ all this  _ is. “And I don’t know how to help them.”

“And telling them how you feel will… what, exactly?”

“It’ll make it worse!” Nastya makes a  _ go on  _ gesture, and he sighs again. “They’re already dealing with so much, I don’t want to add another burden to their load.”

“That’s fair, I suppose,” Nastya muses, propping her chin back up on her hand. “But what about when all this is over? Once you helped them do whatever they need to do?”

Marius shrugs. “I’ll let them go, I guess. Back to their life.”

“You won’t tell them then?”

“I don’t… Probably not. They shouldn’t want anything to do with me.”

“Why not?”

Marius groans and drops his head in his hands. “Nas, please. I can’t do this right now.”

Nastya studies him for a moment, then nods slowly, rising to her feet. “Alright. I’ll leave it alone for now. But, for what it’s worth, Mare… Tell them. At some point. I think you’ll regret it if you don’t, and even if you only have them for a short time, it’s worth it. Trust me.”

She stops beside him and places a hand on his shoulder on her way out, then leaves him alone with Lyf, considering her words.

When Lyf wakes up, they’re in a room they don’t recognize, in a bed that isn’t theirs. It takes them a moment to remember the previous day’s events: the reveal that they might be immortal, their breakdown, Marius holding them as they cried…  _ Marius.  _ This is his room, they remember. So where is he? He’s not in the bed, and yet they can hear a soft snoring….

Lyf crawls over to the foot of the bed and peeks over to see Marius curled up on the floor, fast asleep, a pen loosely clutched in his metal hand and a piece of paper covered in music notes and scribbled lyrics laying next to him. Something in Lyf’s heart does a little flip at the sight.  _ He didn’t even grab a blanket or pillow for himself. Dumbass.  _

They get up off the bed, pulling the blanket with them, and go to drape it over the sleeping baron. When they do, they notice their name on the piece of paper beside him. Now Lyf doesn’t exactly want to snoop, but they can’t help but lean down to take a peek at what it says. 

Most of the lyrics on the page are scribbled out, but right in the middle, written very clearly, there are three words:  _ I’m sorry Lyf. _

“It’s not your fault,” Lyf says softly, knowing that Marius probably can’t hear them but not caring at all. Then they carefully open the door and slip out into the ship’s corridors. 

Seeing as they had only seen a very small part of Aurora the past day, Lyf is soon utterly lost. They wander the ship for the better part of an hour (assuming time even exists around these people), stubbornly determined to find their own way and too afraid to knock on any doors. 

Eventually they stop in the middle of a hall and groan in frustration, absolutely sure they’ve been through this exact corridor about twelve times already. They’re about to give up and just sit down in the middle of the floor until someone comes along and finds them, when words appear on the floor in front of them, glowing softly with a pulsing blue light:  _ You seem to be lost, Mx. Edda.  _

“Uh…” Lyf freezes. Nothing in their police training ever covered glowing words on the floor, and they’re not quite sure what to do. “No I’m not?”

_ Nice try,  _ the glowing words say.  _ Would you like some assistance? _

“I… Who exactly are you?” that seems like a reasonable question to ask. 

A low, warm hum rumbles through the ship, almost like a gentle chuckle.  _ Why, isn’t it obvious?  _ The words ask.  _ I am Aurora.  _

It takes Lyf a moment to place the name. “The- the ship. Right. You’re a talking ship.”

_ I am sentient, yes. _

“Lovely.”

_ Thank you. Would you like help finding your way? _

Lyf sighs. “Yes, thank you.”

_ Where is it you are trying to go? _

That’s a very good question. Lyf frowns, considering. “Is anyone on board awake?”

It takes a moment for Aurora to reply (Lyf assumes she’s scanning for life forms or something). Eventually she responds, her words lighting up the floor before Lyf once again:  _ Yes, Drumbot Brian is awake and in the galley. Would you like me to lead you to him? _

Lyf takes a second to remember who Drumbot Brian is, then nods, recalling the metal man who had introduced himself while in prison on Iala. “That sounds great, thanks again.”

_ Of course. This way.  _ A glowing arrow appears on the floor, pointing ahead of Lyf, and they follow it all the way to the galley.

The galley is surprisingly bare, the appliances simple and easily recognizable as what they are. There’s a round table off to one side, probably for eating, and a small window on the far wall. The kitchen area itself it quite small, and in it is Drumbot Brian, bustling about in a ratty apron, his hair pulled back in a tail at the nape of his neck. He looks up when Lyf comes in and smiles softly. “Lyfrassir. I heard you were staying on the ship for a bit. Lovely to see you again Sorry about the first time we met, I was on Criminal Bastard Mode then.”

Lyf isn’t sure what that means, and doesn’t think they really want to know, so they choose to ignore it. “Yeah, hi. Is it… Do you mind if I just… sit in here, for a bit? I don’t quite have anything else to do at the moment.”

“Oh, of course!” Brian waves a hand about, indicating the empty room. “Please. I would love some company.”

There’s a sort of counter space in the kitchen area, lined with tall stools, and Lyf goes to sit on one, somewhat awkwardly. “So…” they begin, with no idea what they’re about to say before they say it. “What exactly are you up to here?”

“Oh, I’m just trying something out,” Brian tells them, bending down to slide something in the oven. “Baking. You know.”

Lyf doesn’t know, but nods like they do. They have nothing else to say after that, and therefore just sit in silence for a while, watching Brian at work. Eventually the Drumbot pauses in what he’s doing and turns his attention to them fully. “Do you need a hug?”

“Do I… What?” Lyf is completely taken aback by this. Brian just shrugs. “From what I’ve heard, you’re going through a lot, and you seem kind of down. Usually hugs are required with that sort of thing. So would you like one?”

“I…” Lyf suddenly flashes back to the day before, to Marius’ arms around them in the lab, and feels a sudden urge to be there again, with him. They look up at Brian gratefully. “I think I would, actually. Thank you.”

Brian comes around the counter and wraps his arms around them. It’s actually really nice, and Lyf settles in with a surprised noise. “Marius was right,” they murmur. “You  _ are  _ a space heater.”

Brain chuckles quietly. “Don’t tell Jonny,” he warns them. “He’ll ditch Tim for me in a heartbeat.”

Lyf pulls back, grinning gently. “I won’t,” they reassure him. Brian glances over their shoulder toward the door and grunts. “Speak of the devil. Morning, Tim.”

Lyf sits back down at the counter as Tim enters, clutching three octokittens (including the newly winged one, Cap). He squints at both Lyf and Brian suspiciously, then settles down in the middle of the floor, holding Cap tightly to him and letting the other two wander around him, although not far. 

Jonny slouches into the room not long after, muttering something under his breath about how ‘octokittens stole my Tim’. He pauses to scowl at the kittens, then heads straight for the table across the room from the kitchen area. A little while later, another person (Ashes, Lyf recalls) makes their way to the galley. They stop in the doorway and survey the scene before shaking their head and coming to sit by Lyf. 

“What’s up with Tim?” they ask. Brian leans in and whispers conspiratorially. “Raphaella grafted wings onto Cap the other day, so now he’s being extremely protective of his boys.” he glances quickly at Lyf and then explains “Tim’s boys are the three octokittens that he’s claimed as his children. Those three over there.”

“Ah,” Lyf nods, then frowns. “Wait, how many octokittens are there?”

Ashes shrugs. “A bunch. Most of them have names, and most of us have a couple that we’ve basically adopted. I have three myself.”

Lyf raises an eyebrow at them. “And you’re not worried about Raphaella going after them?”

“Nah,” Ashes grins. “Arson, Murder, and Knives can take care of themselves.”

There’s a scuffling noise from the other side of the room, and Lyf looks over to see Jonny scrambling away from one of the octokittens, which has made its way over to him looking for affection. “Tim,” the first mate says, hand on his gun. “Tim, get that thing the fuck away from me before I shoot it.”

“Jonny!” Ashes chides as Tim sweeps over and scoops up the kitten. “How could talk like that about your  _ own son?” _

“That little fucker is no son of mine,” Jonny snarls, as Tim lifts the creature into the air and kisses its tiny forehead. “Did you hear that, Jonathan Shmonathan D’Ville-Tim?” he coos to it. “Your father just disowned you.”

Jonny rolls his eyes and returns to the table, shooting an exasperated look at Tim.

“You should be nicer to Jonny-Cat,” Brian tells him. “He  _ is  _ named after you, after all.”

Jonny shoots him a look. “Fuck off, Drumbot.”

Tim settles back onto the floor with his kittens, and Lyf stands up and heads over, sitting down next to him. “Can I say hi?” they ask, and Tim scrutinizes them for a moment before giving an acknowledging nod. “Sure.”

Lyf reaches out to Cap, help protectively in Tim’s lap, and scratches him behind the ears. “Hi there,” they say softly. “We met yesterday, although I didn’t really get to introduce myself. I’m Lyf.”

The kitten purrs and leans into the touch, tiny wings flapping tentatively. Suddenly it makes a terrified squawking noise and spins around, trying to attack its new limbs. Tim makes a soft sound and pulls it closer to him, running a gentle finger down its spine. “He’s still getting used to them,” he explains to Lyf. Lyf nods, feeling a pang of kinship towards the little creature. 

“You and me both,” they tell Cap. “I know what you’re going through, being thrown into a whole new world like that, everything you’ve ever known changing in a heartbeat. But you’re going to be okay, alright? You’ve got people who love you, and they’re going to take care of you, and you’re going to get through this. We both are.”

Cap blinks up at them with wide eyes, then mews softly. “Yeah, there you go,” Lyf murmurs. “That’s a good kitty.”

Tim watches this exchange with a slight smile, and when it’s over he looks to Lyf and says “Thank you.”

Lyf smiles awkwardly back, but is quickly distracted by the third kitten crawling into their lap. “Oh.”

“That’s Tim Jr.,” Tim tells them. “His full name is Timothy No, because when I was trying to come up with names for him I kept thinking of really awful ones, so the phrase ‘Timothy no’ ended up being said around him so many times that eventually it just… became his name.”

“He’s lovely,” Lyf says, lifting the kitten into their arms and touching their nose to his. Tim Jr. bats at their nose, and they laugh. 

That’s the moment when Marius comes into the galley. “Hey, has anyone seen…” his voice trails off as he spots Lyf. “Good morning, Von Raum,” they call to him, and he makes his way over to them, stopping to scoop up Jonny-Cat and rub his ears on the way. “How are you doing?” he asks, and Lyf sighs. 

“Better, I think, but still not great.” 

Marius nods and sits down next to them, receiving a warning glare from Tim, which he pointedly ignores. “I’m sorry, Lyf,” he starts, but Lyf waves a hand to cut him off. “Don’t. It’s alright. We’ll figure this out.” 

Marius looks like he wants to say more, but seems to decide against it. “Alright.”

The rest of the morning is spent with the octokittens, Lyf and Tim snuggling and playing with them while the others eat breakfast and discuss plans for the day. At one point they are interrupted by the arrival of the Toy Soldier, who nearly gives Lyf a heart attack by coming up to them, holding out a wooden hand, and loudly declaring “And you must be Inspector Sexy!”

_ “Jonny!”  _ Marius shouts, whirling on the first mate, who meets his gaze with an indifferent one of his own. “It was Tim.”

_ “Timothy!” _

“It was Jonny!” 

Lyf just laughs, finding themself oddly enjoying this. It astonishes them, but they actually  _ like  _ spending time with these space pirates (one in particular). 

Eventually Tim stands up. “I have an idea,” he announces, then marches over to Brian and whispers something in his ear. Brian considers, then nods. “I can do that.”

“Do what?” Marius asks curiously, and Tim grins. “We, my dear baron, are taking Lyf on an  _ adventure.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one was a bit short and a bit sloppy. Oh well. Tune in next time for Tim (and brian and lyf) in pretty dresses!


	6. The First Official Mechanisms Fashion Show

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew goes shopping. Shenanigans ensue. Feat. Tim and Brian in dresses, Marius and Lyf being soft, and Jonny committing F a s h i o n C r i m e s

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm so sorry it took me so long to update, i've been going through a lot lately. But here, enjoy this stupid self-indulgent silliness of a chapter.

An  _ adventure,  _ in Tim’s words, turns out to be shopping. Which is a relief, because it very well could have been bloodsport or guitar warfare (which probably isn’t a thing, but if it was Tim would definitely be into it). 

The planet that Brian and Aurora take them to is small but lovely, and every inch of it is covered in shops. Lyf has never seen so many stores in one place, each of them advertising something completely different. “What  _ is  _ this place?” they wonder aloud, spinning around slightly to take everything in. 

Marius, of course, takes that opportunity to step forward and spread his arms dramatically. “Welcome, Inspector, to Colveron. The biggest and best market in the galaxy!”

“Our favorite place to shop,” Ashes adds. “And by shop I mean rob.”

“I’m not sure this is a good idea,” Tim says suddenly. “It was  _ your  _ idea,” Jonny reminds him. He frowns. “Yeah, but I wasn’t thinking about the kittens. I don’t want to leave them.” he shoots a venomous glare at Raphaella as he says this. 

“Tim, they’ll be fine,” Ashes sighs. “Nastya’s watching them. And Raph is coming with us, so there’s no real danger to them anyway.”

“But Cap’s still figuring out his wings!” Tim argues. “What if he hurts himself?”

“Tim, Nas’s  _ got it,”  _ Marius insists. “She’ll take good care of them. There’s nothing to worry about.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Tim relents, but continues to glance nervously back at the ship every couple seconds.

“Nastya knows what she’s doing,” Marius tells Lyf as the group heads into the market proper. “I let her watch Mandi all the time, and she does a great job.”

“Mandi?” Lyf asks, not recognizing the name. 

“My octokitten,” Marius explains. “It’s short for Mandolin.”

“Wait- do  _ all  _ of you have your own octokittens?” Lyf says, looking around at the rest of the crew questioningly. 

“Most of us have adopted one or two,” Brian replies. “I have three.”

“Even Jonny has one,” Tim pipes up, looking a little bit better than he had a second ago. “And he shares custody of mine.”

“Fucker is  _ not  _ my octokitten,” Jonny grumbles. “It just follows me around. And I never agreed to co-parent your demons, Tim.”

“You can probably have one, if you want,” Marius says to Lyf, glancing at Tim for confirmation. Tim nods. “Sure. When we’re done here I can introduce you to the ones that haven’t been claimed yet and you can take your pick.”

“Oh…” Lyf isn’t quite sure what to say to this. “Thank you. I would love an octokitten.”

Tim gives them an idle thumbs up, then is instantly distracted by Ashes calling “Hey Gunpowder, come take a look at this.” and dashes off to peer into the shop window the quartermaster is indicating. When he gets there he stops short and makes a soft sound of awe. “I want it.”

Jonny comes strolling up behind him at glances at the item over Tim’s shoulder. “Well then go try it on, dumbass.”

He shakes his head gently as Tim rushes excitedly into the shop, the corner of his mouth quirking up in what is almost a smile. It quickly becomes the trademark scowl once he catches Lyf looking, and he turns and wanders off down the street.

Marius touches Lyf’s shoulder lightly. “Where do you want to go first?”

Lyf looks around themself helplessly. There are  _ so  _ many shops here, so many things to see and do… and then their eye catches on something in the shop that Tim had disappeared into. “ _ Skirts.”  _

They run into the store without another word, Marius trailing behind them, raising an amused eyebrow as they run a hand over the rack of long skirts almost reverently. 

“I’ve always loved flowy skirts,” they explain softly as they continue to sift through the rack. “My favorite thing to wear outside of uniform has always been oversized sweaters and long skirts. I didn’t take any clothes with me when I left Midgard, so I haven’t really had anything to wear that really… feels like me, I guess.”

“Well then, why don’t you get a couple?” Marius asks. Lyf opens their mouth to reply that yes, they would really love to, when they are interrupted by Ashes’ loud wolf whistle and exclamation of “ _ Damn,  _ Timothy.”

Lyf looks up to find that Tim has emerged from the depths of the shop, wearing the item he had chosen from the window display. Said item turns out to be a dress, an extravagant satin concoction with layers of lace under the skirts. The sleeves are slightly puffed and hang just off of the shoulders, connected to the expanse of fishnet that stretches over the shoulders and up to just beneath the throat, coming up out of the corset-esque bodice. Silver embroidery lines the edges of the skirts, sleeves, and accompanying black fingerless gloves. It’s gorgeous, and Tim makes it work effortlessly. 

The gunner strikes a pose, then gives a slight twirl for his audience, lacy skirts fanning around him slightly. “Holy shit,” he comments. “I’m  _ hot.” _

“Looking good, Tim,” Marius calls with a grin, then glances at the doorway. “What do you think, Jonny?”

Jonny pauses in the entrance of the shop and studies Tim for a moment, arms crossed. Then he holds up a finger in a ‘wait one second’ gesture and marches back out, only to return a moment later with a pair of bronze and leather goggles. He crosses the room to Tim and places the goggles on his head, before stepping back and giving an approving nod. “There.”

“Can I try something on?” Brian asks from the other side of the room. Tim gives him a look of confusion. “What’re you asking me for? Do what you want, Drumbot.”

Brian smiles and pulls something off a rack, heading for the dressing rooms in the back. Lyf considers for a moment, then grabs a couple skirts and heads that way as well. “I’m going to need you to judge these,” they call to Marius as they go. 

“Anything for you,” he calls back, and they try their hardest  _ not  _ to think about that any more than absolutely necessary as they shut the dressing room door behind them. 

They spend the next couple hours trying on skirts, showing each one off to Marius and having him give his opinion. His opinion is always that Lyf looks lovely, so he isn’t very helpful, but they don’t mind. Eventually they settle on a midnight blue one with glassy beads sewn on in a swirling pattern, as well as a soft white sweater that’s about three sizes too big for them. 

At one point Brian comes out to show off the simple red sundress he picked out, the bottom lined with yellow flowers. Ashes finds him a straw hat to go with it, and the drumbot is ecstatic over the ensemble. Tim bullies Jonny into trying something on, and out of spite the first mate gets dressed up in a hideous floral print shirt, a cowboy hat, and a pair of  _ way  _ too short denim shorts. 

“I want a divorce,” Tim declares the instant he sees the outfit. Jonny flashes him a vicious grin. “We’re not married.”

“Yeah, we are,” Tim counters. “Remember that one time? On Ai-Roth?”

Jonny considers for a moment, then frowns. “Oh shit you’re right.”

Lyf glances at Marius, raising an eyebrow. “They were drunk,” he explains in a whisper. “Brian officiated. Ashes insisted that a typical wedding ceremony includes setting both the grooms on fire. Needless to say it was a disaster.”

“Of course,” Lyf replies, grinning. It suddenly hits them that this is the most fun they’ve had since… well, since their entire system got destroyed by and eldritch entity, and they pause, the smile fading from their face. 

“You alright?” Marius is at their side in an instant, hand on their shoulder. “Do you need something? I could get you something else, if you like, to make you feel more… at home.”

Lyf gives themself a little shake, recovering. “I’m alright,” they reassure him. “I’m… yeah. This is good.”

As the crew heads out back to the ship, Lyf remembers something else and gives Marius a slight nudge. “I suppose, if we ever come back here… I could use a new violin.”

Marius pauses, then starts. “You play??”

Lyf gives him an innocent smile. “A little. I started teaching myself a while after I met you.”

Marius grins. “Glad to know I’m inspiring.” Lyf laughs, shaking their head. “Oh, no, that’s not it at all. You see, I wanted to be  _ better  _ than you. I thought if I got good enough I could annoy you as much as you annoyed me.”

Marius’ eyes go wide and he lets out a little bark of a laugh. “Oh, okay. I see how it is.”

They walk in comfortable silence for a moment, before Marius blurts out. “If you want, Nas and I can teach you. To play, I mean.”

“I would love that,” Lyf says softly, and Marius’ smile is like the sun bursting from behind a stormcloud. Then suddenly he freezes in place, his smile turning mischievous. “Hey, you’ve never actually heard a lot of our songs, have you? Besides Tales To Be Told, of course.”

“I.. have not,” Lyf says, a little wary of where this is going. Marius gives them a decidedly evil wink and yells to his crew; “Who’s up for a show tonight??”

It turns out that when Marius says a ‘show’, he means just the crew performing a small selection of songs for Lyf back on the ship. It’s very informal, they all kind of throw it together in a matter of minutes. Tim, Brian, and Jonny decide to perform in the clothes they had just bought, which makes an… interesting picture. 

The songs they perform are One-Eyed Jacks’, Lucky Sevens, Gunpowder Tim vs. the Moon Kaiser, and Lost in the Cosmos.  _ Their  _ stories. They treat it like a normal, fun performance, but to Lyf it feels like they are sharing something incredibly personal, entrusting their trauma to them. When it’s over Lyf finds themself going up to Tim and asking him if it ever hurts, performing that song. 

“All the time,” Tim responds, with a brief smile. “It always hurts to remember something like that. But… it helps, y’know? To tell the story. Lifts a bit of the weight off of my shoulders.”

Lyf nods, deep in thought. They continue thinking on those words as the Aurora drops them back on Iala, as Marius promises to come check on them in a day or two, as they make their way to their apartment and get themself situated. Lyf doesn’t sing, and has never really been musically talented, but that idea of telling their story, of sharing it to help lift the weight, resonates with them. And they have an idea. 

Back on Midgard, Lyf would spend a lot of their free time reading. They would read fiction, nonfiction, any genre available, although they did secretly have a soft spot for romance novels. Not that they would ever tell anyone that. And sometimes they would try their hand at a little bit of writing: never anything long or plot-heavy, just little stories that popped into their head on occasion. They haven’t tried writing in quite a while, but now…. What if they did?

Lyf isn’t entirely sure when and how they make the decision, but when they wake up the next morning they know: Lyfrassir Edda is going to write a book. 


	7. One Month Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> These bitches gay.

Despite having made the decision, Lyf finds themself with shockingly little time to actually write. First, they have their job, which takes up most of the day and leaves them with paperwork and fieldwork to fill their extra hours. Secondly, there is the Mechanisms, who seem to have decided to adopt them, and often show up out of the blue to drag them on insane exploits and adventures. Lyf supposes they  _ could  _ say no and just… not humor the crew, but they always find themself saying yes, especially when Marius asks. In all honesty, the time Lyf spends with the Mechs is as close to feeling at home that they’ve gotten since the Bifrost. And that means a lot. 

Sometimes, however, it makes them fear for their own sanity. Which is why, on their way to violin lessons with Marius and Nastya, they  _ almost  _ don’t stop to look when they hear quiet giggling from a room off to the side. But that giggling sounds suspiciously like Tim, and those are  _ definitely  _ octokitten meows.

Lyf peeks into the open door to find a kind of lounge area. Ivy is perched smack in the middle of a pile of cushions on the floor, eyes glued to the pages of a book, while Tim and Brian are slowly and sneakily attempting to cover her in octokittens. 

“Hello, Lyfrassir,” Ivy says, without looking up. “Come to join the party?” Tim starts and nearly drops the octokitten he is currently trying to deposit on her head. “You’ve been aware of this the  _ whole time?” _

Ivy gives him a scathing look. “Of course. Did you really think I wouldn’t notice a large amount of living beings crawling all over me?”

“But you didn’t say anything!” Brian protests. Ivy sighs. “It wasn’t worth interrupting my book for. Besides, I am quite comfortable like this.” she emphasizes this point by giving the octokittens on her lap each a scratch on the chin. Lyf recognizes Brian’s Girls: Azalea, Rose, and Daffodil. 

Tim shakes his head in astonishment, then glances up at Lyf. “Hey, rainbow. You here for lessons?”

“I am,” Lyf edges their way into the room, accepting Brian’s greeting hug. “But I thought I would come see what nightmare was transpiring in here.”

At that moment, Lyf is divebombed by a small winged figure, and they laugh, catching Cap as the kitten flies into their arms, purring excitedly. “Hey, you,” they say, grinning. “That was some excellent flying! I’m so proud of you.” Cap mews in response and lifts off again, flying over to Tim and landing on his shoulder, looking smug. Tim plants a kiss on the octokitten’s tiny forehead like the proud parent he is. 

Looking around the room, Lyf notices that most of the octokittens are accounted for, except… “Tim, where’s the baron?”

“Oh, Mare’s got him,” Tim replies. Lyf narrows their eyes and, without another word, turns and stalks down the hall.

“Marius,” they call, marching toward the band practice area where their lessons are typically held. “How many times do I have to tell you to  _ stop trying to steal my son?” _

They round the corner into the practice area, where Marius is lying flat on his back on the floor, Lyf’s purple-black octokitten perched on his chest. He looks up and grins at Lyf when they enter. “We share a name, it’s only fair that I should get to share custody, too.”

“You do  _ not  _ share a name,” Lyf argues, sweeping down and scooping up the kitten. “You’re Baron Marius Von Raum, he’s Baron Marius Von Mrow. And unlike you, he is actually a baron.” 

Marius grumbles something about how unfair it is that the kitten’s title gets respected when his doesn’t, then sits up and goes to pull out his violin. “Okay, are you ready?”

Lyf is about to respond, but is interrupted by Nastya, who enters the room and announces. “I am sorry, dears, but it turns out that Jonny booked us a gig for tonight without telling anyone, and now we need to rehearse for that.”

Marius scowls, but Lyf just shrugs. “That’s alright. I can just stay and watch.” 

Nastya gives them a weighted look. “It’s the Bifrost Incident.”

Lyf stiffens, then tries desperately to force their shoulders to relax before Marius notices and starts fussing over them. “Oh.”

They know about the Bifrost Incident, of course. When they first mentioned that they were going to write a book about their experience to the crew, Jonny had made some offhand comment about how they didn’t need to do that because there was already the album. It had taken Lyf a bit to process this, and they were both shocked that it existed and hurt that no one had told them about it. After an extremely adorable and heartfelt apology from Marius (which may or may not have included an impromptu serenade), however, Lyf had forgiven the crew. They still haven’t heard the album, but they know they will have to eventually, so why not now?

“As I said, I can just stay and watch,” Lyf says again, forcing the tremor out of their voice. Marius opens his mouth to argue, and they shoot him a look that they hope says  _ you’re sweet, and I know you care, but I can do this.  _ Marius backs down, and Lyf settles in for the most painful performance of their life. 

It hurts. Of course it hurts. They were expecting it to, but it still hits them hard. Reliving the whole experience is painful, but  _ fuck  _ if it isn’t gorgeous. The music flows through Lyf, painting such a clear picture that they feel like they’re back on Midgard, watching that footage, combing it for clues. 

When it’s over, Marius sets his violin down and comes straight over to them, concern clearly etched on his features. “I’m alright,” Lyf says before he can ask. “That was… But I’m fine.”

Marius frowns, but doesn’t argue with them. “If you’re sure.” he still looks worried, and before Lyf fully knows what they’re doing, they stand up. “I… I think I need to take a walk. If you- if you have time before the gig, and you- I mean- come with me. Please?”

“Of course,” Marius says, and Lyf flashes him a grateful smile. 

It’s wintertime on Iala, and a light snow is falling around Lyf and Marius as they make their way through the streets in comfortable silence. The sun is setting, and a chill pierces the air. Marius has to physically restrain himself from putting his arm around Lyf. It’s getting harder and harder to be around them and not touch them the way he wants to, but he thinks he’s doing a pretty good job of reigning himself in. 

“I’m sorry,” he blurts all of a sudden. “For letting them make that album. For  _ wanting  _ to make it. For not telling you.”

Lyf gives him a funny look. “You’ve already apologized for that. And I already forgave you for it.”

“But it’s not just that,” Marius admits. “I should have apologized for this long ago, Lyf. I… I’m sorry for leaving you. Back on Midgard. I’m sorry for not trying to go back for you, or anyone else. I’m sorry for… fuck, Lyf, I’m just so  _ sorry.”  _

Lyf doesn’t say anything for a while, then: “I’ve already forgiven you for that too.”

“What? Why?” Marius whirls on them, and they face him, arms crossed. “Because. There was nothing you can do. And I’ve spent enough time with the crew to understand how immortality works for you. I see how… getting attached isn’t… I get it.” 

“That still doesn’t-” Marius starts, but is suddenly distracted by Lyf grabbing his hand and dragging him over to a squat building off the side of the road. “What-”

“I need a drink,” Lyf says by way of explanation, and pulls him inside. 

It’s a bar of some sort. The walls are painted a dark navy, and the ceiling is made of glass fractals that reflect dots of light onto the wide dance floor. There are tall tables scattered around the edges, with no stools so the patrons have to stand around them. Music plays through hidden speakers, fast with a thumping beat that seems to match the pounding of Marius’ heart. Lyf shrugs off their coat, leaving them in a silver button-down shirt and a long rainbow-patterned skirt. “Can you go get drinks?” they ask Marius over the noise. 

“What do you want?” he asks. They shrug. “Whatever looks good.” 

Marius makes his way to the bar and orders something for Lyf and himself, choosing the drinks with the most interesting names. When he brings them back to the table the two of them had claimed, however, Lyf is nowhere to be found. Marius almost panics, and then he spots them.

Lyf is dancing. They’ve joined the sparse inhabitants of the dance floor and are moving with the music, hand and hips and feet shifting in time to the beat. Their hair is down and flows over their shoulders, down their back, nearly to their waist at its full length. Their skirt swirling around them, reminiscent of the glow that sometimes surrounds them. It takes Marius a moment to realize that they  _ are  _ actually glowing, a faint aura spreading around them and making it seem as though they are dancing in the center of a rainbow. 

They are beyond beautiful, beyond perfect. In this moment, they are  _ everything,  _ and Marius is so very in love. 

Lyf spots him watching and reaches out a hand to him. “Dance with me,” they call softly across the room, and he can do nothing but let himself be swept toward them in the small crowd. As soon as Marius gets to Lyf, however, the song cuts out and is replaced by a slow, sweet tune that sounds suspiciously like a love song. 

“Um…” Marius glances around awkwardly, but no one’s looking at them. Lyf smirks. “Scared of a little slow dancing, Mare?”

Marius tries to ignore the fiery warmth that bursts in his chest at the sound of Lyf using that nickname. “No,”

“Then stop looking around like you’re trying to spot an assassin and put your hands on my waist.” 

Marius tries desperately to shove back the flush creeping over his cheeks as he gently, tentatively places his hands on Lyf’s waist. Lyf smiles and wraps their arms around his neck, pulling him a bit closer. They sway softly together for a while, and Marius gets himself completely lost in Lyf’s blue eyes, the flutter of their delicate silvery eyelashes. Fucking  _ hell,  _ he’s gay for them. 

“Lyf-” he starts, suddenly desperate to get it out, to tell them how he feels before it’s too late. 

“Von Raum,” they tighten their arms around his neck briefly. “Can we… not talk about this now? Please. I promise we will, soon. But… for now can we just… can we just say that you’re sweet and I like you and I want to dance with you.”

“... I think I can do that,” Marius says. Lyf smiles again, then leans forward and kisses his cheek.

And so they dance. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come be my friend! @gunpowdville on tumblr :)


	8. Relationship Counseling With Gunpowder Tim

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lyf gets some advice from Tim. I declare Sweet Tim Rights. I also declare Lyf and Tim are bffs. Also the crew gets attacked I guess. That happens too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SWEET TIM RIGHTS!! seriously though this chapter has a special place in my heart. It does get kinda intense and bifrost-y at the end, so just a warning

Lyf is in love. They weren’t one hundred percent sure before, but now, looking at Marius lying next to them, a soft smile crossing his face as he dreams, they know. 

They’re in Marius’ room on the Aurora, where they had crashed after the gig the night before. Nothing had happened between the two of them, nothing  _ like that,  _ but they had both been so tired after the dancing and the performance that Lyf hadn’t felt like walking home and Marius had been too out of it to be awkward about it. So the two of them had shared his bed. 

Lyf has no idea what time it is, but they know it’s early. The ship is for once completely silent. But Lyf is awake, and they have nothing better to do then stare at Marius while he sleeps and think about how definitely in love with him they are. 

They don’t know what to do about it. They could tell him, of course, they’re pretty sure he feels the same way, but… then what? They could stay with the crew, maybe join permanently if that isn’t a problem. But Lyf isn’t sure that’s what they want. And then there’s still the matter of whatever the Bifrost did to them… Raphaella claims she’s still running tests, that she needs a bit more time to figure out exactly what it’s done, and Lyf is more than a little terrified. What if it’s killing them? What if they lose control and hurt someone? What if they hurt Marius? 

Lyf can’t take it anymore. Being careful not to disturb Marius’ slumbering form, they slip out of the bed and out the door.

They don’t expect anyone else to be up, but after wandering the ship for a while they find Tim sitting with his back against the wall in one of the corridors. Jonny is stretched out beside him, fast asleep, his head in Tim’s lap while Tim idly runs his fingers through the first mate’s hair. Tim himself is staring off into space, eyes focused on nothing in particular. It’s a shockingly tender and candid scene for the two of them, and Lyf makes an attempt to slowly back out and leave them alone. But before they can, Tim glances over and spots them. “Hey, rainbow.”

“Hi. I was just- I can just- I’ll just go, shall I?”

Tim shrugs. “You can stay. Don’t really know where else you’d go, this early in the morning. And besides, I could use some company.”

“You have company,” Lyf reminds him, nodding at Jonny. Tim snorts. “Shockingly, he’s not much fun when he’s asleep.”

“Well, in that case,” Lyf says, sitting down next to Tim and hugging their knees to their chest. 

They sit in silence for a moment, and then Tim says “How are you doing? I know hearing your story from us can’t have been great, and you’re already dealing with a lot.”

Lyf considers for a moment, then replies. “It was hard, which was to be expected, but…. It’s like you said. It takes a bit of the weight off. And you guys did an incredible job of it.”

Tim nods, then laughs when Lyf adds “Although I still can’t believe you cast  _ Jonny  _ as me.”

“What, you don’t think he does you justice? Who would you have preferred?”

Lyf taps their chin with a finger, pretending to think hard. “I dunno. You’re pretty enough to pull it off.”

Tim shoots them a vicious grin. “I am, aren’t I. But Jonny usually does the narration, and it just didn’t feel right to change that up. We need to give him  _ something  _ to do.”

“Fair,” Lyf admits. Tim elbows them. “Besides, you can fix everything up with that book of yours.”

“I can, can’t I?” Lyf realizes. “Although I haven’t gotten very far on that. Just figured out the basic plot, what I’m going to keep from the truth and what I’m going to change. Got a couple characters; protagonist, love interest, the like.”

“Love interest?” Tim raises and eyebrow, and Lyf blushes before they can stop themself. “Based off anyone I know?”

Lyf doesn’t answer, and Tim’s teasing smile fades. “Some advice?” he says gently, and Lyf nods for him to go on. “Don’t fall in love with one of us. We’re… I’m not sure it’s worth the pain.” he sighs. “But I think it’s already too late for you, isn’t it?”

Lyf can’t lie. “Yeah, I think it is.” 

“Well then.” Tim tips his head back against the wall and stares off into space, all the lightness in his expression disappearing. “At least it’s Marius.”

Lyf frowns. “What does  _ that _ mean?”

Tim sighs again. “Marius is… I don’t know. He’s not broken beyond repair yet, I don’t think. Unless- well, we still don’t know much about his past, so maybe he is, but still. I don’t think it’s quite as bad for him.”

“And the rest of you are?” Lyf asks, “Broken beyond repair, I mean.”

“Yeah,” Tim shoots them a half-hearted smile, but it falters after only a second. “At least I am. Think I always have been, no matter how hard Jonny tried to put me back together.” At this, he looks down with fondness at the first mate curled in his lap and brushes the hair off of his forehead. 

“He can’t stand seeing people he cares about in pain, you know,” Tim tells Lyf. “That’s part of why he acts so… Like That. He sees how much we hurt and it makes him angry because he can’t do anything about it. Beats himself up over it, literally and figuratively. The idiot. Wants to take all that hurt for himself, believes that if he just tries hard enough, he can.”

“Damn,” Lyf says, seeing the first mate in a whole new light. “At least he has you.”

“Damn right he does,” Tim growls. “No matter how much he hurts, no matter how much of that hurt I’ve caused for him, I’ve got him. You hear that?” he pokes the back of Jonny’s head lightly with a finger. “I’ve got you. And I’m not letting you go. Not after all the shit we’ve been through, not even after all the fucked up shit we’ve done to each other. Not ever.” 

Satisfied, Tim leans back and grins sheepishly at Lyf. “‘Course, if he actually heard me being sweet about him like that, he’d murder me and leave me to rot on the farthest moon in the galaxy.”

“Of course,” Lyf decides not to mention the little twitch of the first mate’s mouth that implies that he is definitely awake and can hear every word of this. 

“So I suppose my  _ actual  _ advice,” Tim says, “Is: tell him. Tell him you love him, and then never stop telling him. Even if you don’t say it out loud, show it in everything you do, every action you take. Make it more nocticeable than an explosion blowing up the fucking moon. Do it, because you’ll never know when it’s too late.”

Lyf opens their mouth to reply that that is indeed their plan, when a gunshot echoes through the ship, followed swiftly by pounding footsteps and what sounds like a small explosion. Tim groans. “Aurora, who the  _ fuck  _ has decided to play with my toys this early in the morning?”

_ No one on the crew, I’m afraid,  _ the ship replies instantly.  _ I regret to inform you, but it appears we are under attack. _

Gunpowder Tim cares too much. He always talks about how secretly huge and soft the others’ hearts are, but he always forgets to mention his own. Jonny calls him out on it frequently. In fact, it’s one of the first things he ever said to him, back in the war: “Battlefield’s no place for a sweetheart like you, Tim. Better toughen up before you get yourself dead.”

"You care too much, you know," Jonny says to him now as they pound down the corridor toward the supposed attack. Tim flashes him a winning smile. "Heard all that, did you?"

"Didn't hear a damn thing. I was asleep," Jonny says, although the look in his eyes tells a different story. 

"Of course. Well then, you ready to kick some ass?" they've stopped in front of the entrance to the bridge, where they can hear someone moving around, causing all sorts of chaos. 

Jonny grins, finger already on the trigger. Then he pauses and meets Tim's eyes. "I've got you," he says.

To anyone else, it would just be a reassurance that he'll be there fighting beside him, but after Tim's words earlier, it means a hell of a lot more. 

Tim grabs Jonny's free hand and squeezes once, before the two of them charge into battle.

The bridge is already chaos. Nastya lies dead on the floor, having been the first one to encounter the attackers. Jonny’s expression twists from excitement to fury when he sees her, and he instantly begins firing wildly into the room, one bullet narrowly missing glancing off the metal frames of Tim’s eyes. “Watch it, cowboy,” Tim hisses, his previous tenderness reverting to annoyance in a matter of seconds, as is how their relationship often works. 

“Oh, go fuck yourself,” Jonny snarls, pointedly aiming as close to Tim as possible on his next shot. Tim twists his arm behind his back and fires, earning a yelp of pain from the first mate as the bullet finds its mark.

“Boys,” Ashes chides, brushing past the bickering pair and into the fray. “If you would be so kind as to shoot the  _ intruders  _ rather than each other?”

“If you insist,” Tim sighs, focusing his attention back on the fight. 

He recognizes the intruders as a group of bandits that had mistakenly tried to rob them after the previous night’s show, leading to a serious ass-kicking that they are  _ clearly  _ still sore about, as they are now trying to take over Aurora. Well, the Mechs’ll show them. 

The rest of the crew comes rushing into the bridge shortly after Ashes, each in varying states of awakeness and dress, each brandishing whatever weapon they had on hand. Marius zeroes in on Tim the second he enters and comes barging over. “Lyf. Where are they? Are they okay?”

“Your beloved is fine, Mare,” Tim reassures him. “Jonny and I left them back by my room. They can handle themself.”

Marius nods, looking relieved. “I should go to them,” he says. “Just to make sure. I should-” he doesn’t get to finish, as a bullet from the enemy takes that moment of distraction to lodge itself in his brain. It’s just a moment, it takes barely a second, but in that one second everything changes.

There’s a strangled cry, and Tim whirls to see Lyf standing at the entrance to the bridge, eyes wide. And then their expression goes blank, their pupils widening and flooding their eyes with black. Tim has a moment to think that  _ fuck that can’t be good,  _ and then his vision is filled with  _ colors.  _ So many colors, in every shade and hue imaginable. It’s like the world has become tinged with rainbow, and it takes him a moment to realize that it’s all coming from Lyf.

Suddenly every one of the intruders drops to the ground, their eyes popping in a spray of gore and light. Tim doesn’t even have time to process that before Jonny, standing a few feet away, gasps and clutches his chest, eyes widening in pain and shock. At first nothing appears to be wrong, and then Tim realizes that he can  _ see  _ Jonny’s heart beating, each beat expanding and growing until it seems to be trying to escape. Metal splinters rip through the skin of his chest, and the first mate falls to his knees, coughing blood. 

Tim tries to go to him, but pain bursts behind his eyes and he stops in his tracks as something drips down his face. He’s  _ crying,  _ for the first time in millenia, but these aren’t normal tears. They’re iridescent and sticky, and they burn his skin as they fall. The metal frames around his eyes curl inward, digging deeper into his flesh until they scrape bone. 

All around the bridge, similar things are happening to the others. Brian seems to be crumpling in on himself, mouth opening in a silent scream as his metal body folds like paper. Nastya, having just regenerated, is bleeding quicksilver from every pore as she crawls across the floor, trying to reach Aurora, whose walls all pulsating, dripping, as though they’ve become flesh. She screams, and Tim realizes distantly that it’s the first time he’s ever actually heard the ship’s voice. 

In the center of it all, Lyfrassir Edda stands, surrounded by blazing rainbow light, looking like a newborn god. It’s not right.  _ They’re  _ not right. It’s not supposed to- it’s not supposed to be like this. Tim has to do something.

That’s when he remembers that he’s holding a gun. His limbs feel detached from the rest of him, but he still manages to lift it, his fingers twitching sporadically on the trigger. It’s hard to see through the pain and the slimy tears and the metal slowly crushing his face, but this is the gunner who blew up the fucking moon. He can do this.

Tim lets out a defiant cry, aims, and pulls the trigger. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well that escalated quickly ;)


	9. Decisions to be Made

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some decisions are made about what comes next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if i scared anyone with that last chapter (not really though) :)

“Lyf? Lyf, can you hear me?”

“Give them a moment, they might not be fully healed yet.”

“Yeah, yeah, ok, ok. I’m just worried.”

“We all are.”

“Don’t know  _ why.” _

“Oh good lord, not this again.”

“I’m just saying. You saw what they did back there.”

“Can we not talk about this in front of them? I think they’re waking up.”

Lyf blinks open their eyes to find nine concerned faces staring down at them. “What the  _ fuck.”  _

“You’re okay,” Marius sighs, the relief and warmth in his eyes a stark contrast to the wariness and worry in the faces of the others. 

“Did you all forget when I told you they were immortal?” Raphaella huffs, tossing her hair over her shoulder and planting her hands on her hips. 

“You said possibly immortal,” Lyf reminds her, attempting to sit up, and is promptly shoved back down by Tim, who gives them a faint apologetic smile. He looks terrible, dried blood tracing pathways down his face, emanating from the metal seams of his mechanism. “Best not. You may have healed from a bullet to the head, but that doesn’t mean you’re at one hundred percent.”

“Right,” Lyf tips their head back against the cot they’re laying on in the medbay, then frowns. “A bullet to the head?”

The Mechanisms all glance at each other, a silent conversation passing between them. Marius touches Lyf’s shoulder briefly, brow furrowed. “Do you… remember? What happened? What you-”

“What you  _ did?”  _ Jonny snarls from his position at Tim’s shoulder, arms crossed like a scowling sentinel.

Lyf sits up, and this time no one tries to stop them. They take in the room: Tim, bloody tears on his cheek. Jonny, holes in his shirt just over his heart. Nastya, drenched in mercury from head to toe, protectively stroking one of Aurora’s wall panels. Ashes, burn holes in all of their clothes and soot streaked across their skin. Raphaella, wings hanging limp and lifeless as though dislocated. Ivy, quiet in the corner, holding her head and staring off into space. Brian, looking somehow crumpled, the panels of his skin slowly straightening out as Lyf watches. And Marius, looking fine but pale and shaky, his metal hand trembling and twitching at his side. 

Suddenly it all comes back to them. The attack, watching Marius die, and then… the Bifrost. Just like it had been on that train. Except… this had been  _ Lyf. They  _ had caused this. They had… they had nearly destroyed Aurora and the crew. “Oh… Oh gods. I… what did I  _ do?” _

“You lost control,” Tim says quietly. “I had to shoot you to make it stop. I’m sorry.”

“No,” Lyf shakes their head violently. “Don’t apologize. You did exactly what you should have. That was a good call.”

“I could have killed you,” Tim points out. “We still weren’t sure if you were… y’know, fully immortal.”

“Better to be dead than to live with what I did to you all,” Lyf says softly. Marius steps forward as if to hug them, but they shake their head, getting to their feet. “I need to… I need a moment. I’m going to take a walk. I’ll stay on the ship, but I… I just need a second.”

Marius nods and steps back. The others move out of Lyf’s way as they leave the medbay and head off through Aurora. 

Not surprisingly, they end up with the octokittens. After aimlessly wandering for about ten minutes, they realize that their wandering is not actually aimless and is leading them straight to the kittens. And that’s fine. Lyf could use some octokitten cuddles right now. 

To their surprise, the Toy Soldier is also there, sitting in the center of a throng of furry tentacled beasties. It looks up when Lyf enters, and calls brightly, “Oh, hello! Glad to see you up and about, Inspector!”

“...Thanks. Do you, um… do you mind if I sit in here for a bit?”

“Why, of course not! You are always welcome!” Lyf attempts a smile and sits themself down next to the TS, who promptly hands them a kitten. “I believe this one is yours!”

“It is, thank you,” Lyf responds, cuddling Baron Marius Von Mrow to their chest. He purrs, a deep, surprisingly intense sound, and his little tentacles wiggle in pleasure as Lyf rubs his ears. The Toy Soldier begins humming a jaunty little tune as it gathers around eight octokittens into its lap, adding to the three under its arms and the two on its hat. 

“If I may ask,” Lyf says after a moment. “Why aren’t you with the others?”

The Toy Soldier’s painted smile never fades as it replies. “Because I don’t quite understand what it is that happened!” 

“Oh… Lyf frowns. “Can you… maybe explain?”

“Of course!” The TS shifts its position until it is directly facing Lyf (upsetting the many octokittens surrounding it in the process) and then continues. “I am aware that my crew is in pain, but I am not, and I seem to be the only one who is not, so I do not think I can contribute anything productive to the conversation!”

“Huh,” it does sort of make sense that the Bifrost wouldn’t really affect the Toy Soldier, given its nature. “That… makes sense, I suppose. But… shouldn’t you still be with them? You’re one of them, after all. A.. a part of the family.”

“I’ve never really thought about that!” the TS replies cheerfully. “Probably because I don’t think! But maybe you are right! I should be going then! That is, if you are alright by yourself!”

“I am,” Lyf reassures it. “I have the kittens.”

The Toy Soldier stands up and strides toward the door purposefully, then turns back to Lyf. “By the way, I think you should know! You are glowing!”

“Oh, fuck.” Lyf looks down at themself to find that yes, they are indeed glowing. Again. It’s been happening a lot lately, and they’ve almost gotten used to it, but now, after everything that just happened, it terrifies them. And with that panic, the glow intensifies, and the kittens start to wail, running around frantically. Oh gods, Lyf’s  _ hurting  _ them. That only makes them panic more, which hurts the kittens more. The ship begins to shake, gently at first and then violently.  _ No no no no. I have to stop this. How do I stop this?? _

Lyf squeezes their eyes shut and pictures Marius’ face, the faces of the crew, Cap the octokitten with his tiny wings, the music…. Almost without thinking, they begin to sing quietly.  _ “Like whiskey laced with gasoline, we’re deadly when we’re drunk…” _

And like that, it stops. The glow fades, the ship settles, the kittens stop screaming and look around themselves in confusion. Lyf collapses in relief and breathes out a long sigh. They can’t let this happen again. They  _ won’t  _ let this happen again, they decide. Whatever it takes.

“We’re not arguing about this,” Marius folds his arm and glares at his crew, looking more intimidating than he honestly ever has. “We’re not.”

“Jonny’s the only one arguing,” Tim points out. “The rest of us are in agreement.”

“And it makes  _ no sense,”  _ Jonny snaps. “They nearly  _ destroyed  _ us, wiped us from existence without even lifting a finger. They. Can’t. Stay.”

“And why not?” Tim whirls on him. “They were given a gift that they didn’t want, and they have no way out of it and nowhere else to go. How are they any different from the rest of us?”

“They’re  _ not one of us,  _ Tim,” Jonny hisses, eyes blazing. “We don’t take in strays.”

“Well,  _ that’s  _ the biggest lie you’ve ever told,” Ashes snorts. Jonny shoots them a glare, and Nastya steps forward, sighing. 

“Jonathan,” she takes both of his hands in hers, giving him an exasperated look filled with sisterly fondness. “I know you’re scared. I know you don’t want to watch us get hurt like that again. No, don’t argue with me. Keep your mouth shut until I’m done talking. Trust me, I  _ know  _ what you’re feeling right now. All of us are feeling the same. But Tim is right. Lyfrassir’s situation isn’t any different from what the rest of us have gone through. And you say they aren’t part of the crew, but that’s not the truth and I think you know it. They spend most of their time with us. I’ve been teaching them to play the violin. Tim lets them watch his babies, and even let them adopt one of their own. And Marius has given them his whole fucking heart. They are as much a part of the crew as you are at this point, and what do we do when one of the crew lashes out?”

Nastya gives Jonny a severe look, and he mumbles something under his breath. She smiles. “That’s right. We forgive them, and we try to help them through it in whatever way we can. Because we may be fucked up, and we may be so many other things, but above all we  _ are  _ a family.”

“FAMILY!!!” Tim yells, punching a fist into the air. “I love you guys,” Brian says quietly, and Raphaella wraps her arms around his shoulders, planting a kiss on the top of his head. Ashes applauds. Nastya lets go of Jonny’s hands, laughing, as Marius tackles her and hugs her from behind. 

“GROUP HUG!” Marius declares, and the others rush in. 

“Nope,” says Jonny, backing away, but he is quickly swept up into the air by Raphaella, who then flies him over and deposits him directly in the center of the huddle, kicking and screaming the whole way. Once he is dropped off, the rest of the crew quickly traps him there, and the group hug commences. 

A quiet hum falls over the crew then, interrupted only when Jonny exclaims, in surprise and delight, “Holy shit! The Drumbot’s a literal fucking  _ space heater!” _

They look so content, the entire crew huddled together in the medbay like that, and Lyf doesn’t want to interrupt. So they wait a moment before clearing their throat loudly. 

The group breaks apart, turning to look at them almost simultaneously. “Hey,” Marius says when he sees them, taking a step forward. “Doing better?”

“I will be,” Lyf says. “After I do what I need to do.”

“We talked about it,” Nastya informs them hurriedly. “You can stay with us, forever if you wish. We will help you with whatever you need.”

Lyf’s heart swells, and warmth flows through them at that offer. “That’s… I would love that. And I will take you up on it… After.”

Marius narrows his eyes. “After what?” 

Lyf takes a deep breath, preparing themself. They haven’t really fully fleshed out their plan, and they’re not sure they’re ready to explain it yet. “I need to learn more about this. These… Bifrost powers, or whatever they are. I need to learn to control them. And to do that, I think I have to experiment with them. Test their limits. I also need to learn, find out if something like this has happened before. I’ll need to… travel, I suppose, maybe even back to… where it started. And I need to do it alone.”

This whole speech, Lyf had their eyes fixed on the floor, and now they look up to see varying expressions of understanding and confusion. 

“Alone?” Marius looks incredulous. “But- but we can help! We can… we can help.”

Lyf shakes their head. “No. I don’t want to hurt you any more than I already have. Any of you. I need to do this by myself.”

They must have sounded more convinced than they feel, because Marius backs down, although he still looks heartbroken. 

“I’ll come back,” Lyf adds, needing to reassure him that they aren’t leaving him, not for good. They would never. “Once I’ve figured it out, I’ll find you. I promise. But I need to do this first. I just… I need this.”

The Mechanisms share another silent conversation, conducted entirely through facial expressions and hand gestures. Then Jonny steps forward. “Fine. You can do your… quest or whatever.”

“As long as you come back,” Tim adds. “We kind of like you.”

Lyf laughs. “I kind of like you, too. I’ll be back.”

“When do you want to leave?” Brian asks. 

“As soon as possible,” Lyf says. Brian nods and sets a course for the nearest space station that rents shuttles. 

_ Right,  _ Lyf supposes,  _ I guess we’re doing this.  _


	10. THERE ARE TALES TO BE TOLD!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the story ends... but it also begins

Lyf stands at the end of Aurora’s exit ramp, staring at the world ahead of them. They have a bag full of their meager worldly possessions slung over their shoulder, and a violin case in their hand. They should be ready to go, to get this adventure started, but they are very much not. 

They’ve said goodbye to almost everyone, gaining hugs from most of them and kisses on the cheek from Tim, Raphaella, and Nastya. They entrusted care of the Baron to Tim, who swore solemnly that he would treat him as one of his own sons. They even said goodbye to Aurora. The only person they haven’t said goodbye to yet is Marius. 

As though summoned by their thoughts, Marius appears at Lyf’s side. He doesn’t say anything, just takes their hand and laces their fingers together. 

“I don’t want you to go,” he says after a moment, and the softness in his voice nearly shatters Lyf’s heart. He tips his head down to rest on their shoulder, and they turn so their chin is resting on top of his head. “I know. And I don’t want to go. But I do think this is the best thing for me to do.”

“I know. It is. But that doesn’t mean-” Marius sighs. “I’ll miss you.”

“It won’t be that long,” Lyf reassures him. “I think. I hope. You’ll barely even notice I’m gone.”

“Lyf, I notice every single second you’re not there. It’s like a physical ache. In my heart.”

Lyf snorts. “Marius, that sounds serious. Aren’t you a doctor? You should look into that. You’re probably dying.”

Marius groans into their shoulder. “Goddamnit, Lyf, I’m trying to tell you I’m in love with you, okay?”

“You’re in love with me? Really? I had  _ no  _ idea.”

“You-” Marius pulls back in shock. “Was that  _ sarcasm?  _ Was I really that obvious?”

Lyf laughs, giving his hand a squeeze so he knows they’re teasing. “Mare, a giant glowing sign in the sky that says ‘Marius Von Raum loves Lyfrassir Edda’ would have been less obvious.”

“Oh,” Marius looks away from them, blushing furiously. Lyf laughs again and slips their arms around his waist. “By the way, I’m in love with you, too.”

“You’d better be,” Marius huffs, unable to disguise the massive dopey grin that crosses his face. 

“And,” Lyf says, pulling back and taking his hand again. “When this is all over, once I have everything figured out, I’m going to find you. And we’re going to try this. Us. Just promise me you’ll wait for me.”

Marius turns toward them, and the emotion in his eyes nearly blows them away. “Lyfrassir, I think I’ve been waiting for you my entire life. What’s a little while longer?”

Lyf can’t find words to respond to that. Luckily they don’t need to, for Marius lifts their hand and kisses it. “Until we meet again, Inspector Lyf.”

Lyf smirks, dropping his hand and giving him a mock salute. “See you, Von Raum.”

And with that, they turn and walk away. 

**Roughly One Year Later (although does time really exist? I don’t think so)**

Lyfrassir Edda is back on Iala for the first time in about a year. It’s the same as it has always been, and Lyf is astonished at how little has changed.

_ They  _ have changed, that’s for sure. Their hair, which used to be a silvery-white, is now iridescent and shimmering with every color of the rainbow. Their posture is more confident, they walk tall as though they are unafraid of anything. And honestly, after what they’ve seen, they wouldn’t be surprised if they weren’t. They carry a nearly complete manuscript under one arm and a silver violin in a black leather case under the other. The book only has one chapter left to be written, but they’re waiting to write it until after today. They hope it has a happy ending. 

They’ve figured out how to control their powers. It isn’t a perfect solution, but it’s the best they’ve got. They have pushed the Bifrost as deep into themself as it will go, locked in inside so it can’t get out and harm anyone. It seems like a good idea, but there is a catch: the power will eventually build up inside them until it can force its way out, and in doing so will kill Lyf. But they’re pretty sure it’ll be a good long while before that happens. 

They’re making their way down a side street, toward where they know there used to be a cabaret of some sort, hoping against hope that they’ll find what they’re looking for there. But suddenly, as they pass an abandoned warehouse, they hear a noise echoing through the open windows… 

_ “Like whiskey laced with gasoline, we’re deadly when we’re drunk….” _

Grinning, Lyf picks up their pace and turns into the door of the warehouse just in time to hear: “And myself, Jonny D’Ville, your humble captain.”

“First mate,” Lyf calls, dropping the items they’re carrying on the floor. 

At the other end of the empty space are the Mechanisms, all set up for band practice. Lyf steps farther into the light as the crew realizes who it is and the music falters. 

They’re all staring at them, varying expressions of surprise and delight painted across their faces, instruments still held poised and ready to go, but Lyf only has eyes for the violinist. They stride across the room, leap nimbly onto the stage, then grab Marius and kiss him to within an inch of his life. 

Marius makes a startled ‘mmph’ of surprise that is quickly swallowed by Lyf’s mouth on his, then kisses them back just as fervently. One of his arms wraps around their waist, tugging them closer, closer, while the other hand finds its way into their hair, tangling in it as he deepens the kiss, and Lyf has no thoughts but  _ Marius. _

Eventually they have to separate to breathe, much to both of their disappointment.

“Damn,” Lyf gasps, resting their forehead against Marius’. “If I had known you were  _ that  _ good a kisser, I would have done this a lot sooner.”

Marius laughs and kisses them again, once on the mouth before moving to their cheek, jaw, neck, and shoulder. There’s a shout of “Get it, Mare!” and it’s at this point that Lyf remembers that they have an audience, and spares a glance for the other Mechanisms. 

Jonny looks absolutely disgusted, although there’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it glimmer in his eyes that hints toward his true feelings on the matter. Raphaella is dancing around behind her piano in celebration, and flashes Lyf a thumbs up when she sees them looking. Ivy looks faintly amused, Nastya is nodding approvingly, Tim is pantomiming wiping tears from his eyes, and Ashes looks like a proud parent. The Toy Soldier appears as it usually does, and loudly exclaims “Oh, isn’t that just  _ lovely!”  _ And as for Marius… Marius is flushed, breathless, and grinning like an idiot, and all Lyf can do is lean in for another kiss. There’s an annoyed groan followed by a loud gunshot, and Lyf and Marius jolt apart to find Ashes calmly putting away the gun they had just used to shoot Jonny in the head. “Don’t mind us, carry on,” they call cheerfully. Lyf looks to Marius, who shrugs, still grinning.

It’s going to take a while for Lyf to get used to them, to the constant killing and dying and getting right back up afterward, but it’s worth it. It’s worth it for the home, the family, the man in whose arms they now stand, the adventure and the discovery. And one day the Bifrost will catch up to them, but that’s alright.

For they know the void is screaming mad, and there’s no happy endings out there for them, but the book is lying open, and there are tales to be told. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! It's done! I'm so happy! I honestly had the time of my life writing this and I hope everyone who read it enjoyed it! Thank you guys ever so much for humoring my silly chaos <3


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